Edward Lewis (3 January 1935 – 2 May 2011) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward and later as a full-back. Born in Manchester, he played for Goslings before joining the now-famous Manchester United Junior Athletic Club (MUJAC). He made his debut for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

in 1952, but struggled to nail down a regular place in the starting XI and was sold to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

in 1955. A year later, he transferred to West Ham United, with

Frank O'Farrell Francis O'Farrell (9 October 1927 – 6 March 2022) was an Irish football player and manager. He played as a wing half for Cork United, West Ham United and Preston North End. He made over 300 appearances in the Football League before joining ...

moving in the opposite direction. In 1958, he was part of the West Ham team that finished on top of the Second Division before joining Leyton Orient. At Leyton Orient, Lewis was converted from his former position at centre-forward to become the team's regular left-back, and he was part of the team that was promoted to the First Division in 1962 and relegated just a year later. In May 1964, Lewis joined Folkestone Town, before embarking on a short managerial career with Clapton and Ford Sports. In 1970, Lewis emigrated to South Africa, where he was involved in coaching several sides, including Wits University,

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) are a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premier Soccer League. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Lords" or "Chie ...

and

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often known as simply Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two ...

. He also worked as an analyst for SuperSport. He contracted cancer in his later years and died in May 2011.

Career

Born in Manchester, Lewis was one of the original Busby Babes. He played for Goslings and then for the Manchester United Junior Athletic Club (MUJAC), joining the

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

ground staff in the 1947–48 season. He made 24 appearances for United during the 1950s and scored 11 goals, but was never a regular first-team player due to fierce competition from Bobby Charlton, Liam Whelan, Tommy Taylor and Dennis Viollet. In 1956 Lewis signed for West Ham United from

in a swap deal that saw

move in the other direction. He helped West Ham win promotion during the 1957–58 season, and did the same with Leyton Orient in 1961–62. He was converted from centre forward to full back with Leyton Orient, and probably played his best seasons in that position. He went on to play for Folkestone Town and later managed Clapton and Ford Sports in the

Greater London League The Greater London League was a football league for clubs in and around London. It was formed in 1964 by a merger of the London League and the Aetolian League, after the two leagues had run a joint league cup the previous season due to both str ...

. Lewis emigrated to South Africa in 1970 and – after a short spell selling insurance – he spent time as a part-time coach of Primary School Soccer at Glenhazel Primary school in the 1980s, and Wits University,

, Giant Blackpool,

, Manning Rangers, Free State Stars and AmaZulu. He also worked as an analyst for the TV sports station SuperSport and also for PA Sports. In July 2007, 72-year-old Lewis was appointed as a technical advisor for

under their new manager

Ian Gorowa Ian Kuziva Gorowa Dibango (born 16 November 1971) is a former Zimbabwean footballer, formerly managing South African Premier Soccer League side Moroka Swallows. Playing days Ian 'Dibango' Gorowa came to South Africa after playing for Dynamos a ...

, a former Zimbabwe international striker. After a long battle with cancer, Lewis died in a Johannesburg hospital on 2 May 2011.

References

* *Kaufman, Neilson N. (2003) ''The Men Who Made Leyton Orient FC''. Tempus Publishing *Kaufman, Neilson N. (2006

990 Year 990 ( CMXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Al-Mansur, ''de facto'' ruler of Al-Andalus, conquers the Castle of Montemor-o-Velho (mode ...

. ''The Complete Record of Leyton Orient FC''. Breedon Book Publishing *Kaufman, Neilson N. (2008) ''The Eddie Lewis Story: From Manchester to Soweto''. Derwent Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Eddie 1935 births 2011 deaths English men's footballers Footballers from Manchester Manchester United F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Folkestone F.C. players English Football League players English football managers Clapton F.C. managers Kaizer Chiefs F.C. managers Wits University F.C. managers Free State Stars F.C. managers Giant Blackpool managers Moroka Swallows F.C. managers Manning Rangers F.C. managers AmaZulu F.C. managers English expatriates in South Africa Deaths from cancer in South Africa Expatriate soccer managers in South Africa Men's association football forwards Men's association football defenders